One example of the immersion nozzle exchanging apparatus of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication SHO 57(1982)-54,919. The immersion nozzle exchanging apparatus of this patent specification is constructed by setting a vertically operable cylinder on a supporting member fixed on the lateral wall or the bottom of a tundish or in a slide gate valve equipment, for example, attaching hardware to the leading terminal of a piston rod of the cylinder in such a manner as to be freely rotated in the horizontal direction, interlocking a supporting arm slidably and rotatably to the hardware, and providing immersion nozzle fixtures at the opposite terminal parts of the supporting arm.
Since the conventional immersion nozzle exchanging apparatus is fixed to a tundish or a slide gate valve equipment, the attchment or detachment of an immersion nozzle to or from the immersion nozzle exchanging apparatus requires a worker to approach the tundish and work in a hot atmosphere. The safety of this work, therefore, is extremely dubious. The apparatus also has a fault in respect that the immersion nozzle is deficient in the ability to closely attach the nozzle to the tundish because a jointing material such as mortar or packings and metal adhering to the outlet nozzle of the tundish defy removal.